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Marlins promote Marisnick, send Yelich to DL

3/13/14: Jake Marisnick doubles to left field to score two and take the lead

By Joe Frisaro
/
MLB.com |

MIAMI -- A year ago, Jake Marisnick got his first taste of life in the big leagues, and there were some ups and downs.

The speedy outfielder appeared in 40 games with the Marlins in 2013, and batted .183 with one home run and five RBIs. To gain more seasoning, the 23-year-old opened the season at Triple-A New Orleans, where he was batting .264 with 11 doubles, three triples, six homers and 27 RBIs.

On Monday, Marisnick was called up to fill in for Christian Yelich, who was placed on the disabled list with a lower-back strain.

The hope is Yelich won't need more than the 15 days to get back.

In the meantime, Marisnick steps in, and on Monday he led off and played center field in the Marlins' 5-4 loss to the Cubs.

Marisnick showed he has the ability to make a difference in several ways. He collected two hits, drew a walk and stole two bases.

Marcell Ozuna, who has regularly handled center, switched to left field.

"Jake's natural position is center," manager Mike Redmond said. "I feel confident that O [Ozuna] can play anywhere. He can play left. With Jake, to come up and play his natural position. I talked to O about it, and he's fine. Wherever he plays, he plays. For us, that gives us our best defense for now."

Marisnick is considered the best defensive outfielder in the organization. He's got great speed, makes strong reads and has a good throwing arm.

Offensively, he's needed to show more consistency to be a regular in the big leagues.

After a sluggish April, where he batted .182, Marisnick hit .347 in May. He was hitting .260 in 13 games in June.

"I'm as ready as can be," Marisnick said. "When I first started playing this year, I was putting too much pressure on myself. I was like, 'Go out and play the game you've been playing your whole life.' Go out and have fun.' The only difference I really made was just relaxing."